Illini hoops team loses 2 players

Tuesday

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois basketball team lost freshman forward Bill Cole for up to three weeks with a shoulder separation, but the wait is much longer for freshman guard Quinton Watkins.

The Illinois basketball team lost freshman forward Bill Cole for up to three weeks with a shoulder separation, but the wait is much longer for freshman guard Quinton Watkins.

While freshman forward Mike Davis passed the NCAA initial eligibility clearinghouse, coach Bruce Weber said Tuesday that Watkins won't enroll for the fall semester after the California native failed to meet NCAA academic requirements for incoming freshmen. The earliest Watkins could enroll and join the program would be for the spring semester, but the shooter who signed with Illinois in the spring is now open to recruiting.

"We're disappointed,'' Weber said. "We had hoped to we found a player late in the process, a top 100 player. It's disappointing not only for us but for the kid and his family. As for his future, we have to wait and see what happens with his academic issues. We'll have to deal with that at a later time.''

Watkins averaged 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season at Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif., and was considered a leading candidate to fill the shooting guard spot left vacant by the decision to redshirt junior Jamar Smith.

A 6-foot-9, 190-pounder from Alexandria, Va., Davis committed to Illinois in late August and arrived on campus without signing a letter of intent, but he began classes last week and started practicing with the Illini in preparation of the five-game exhibition tour to Canada that begins Friday.

"He's a kid we investigated during the season,'' Weber said. "It looked like he was going to prep school. Things turned his way academically late.''

By midsummer, Davis excelled on the AAU tour, but he still planned to enroll at South Kent School, a prep school in Connecticut, to develop his game. He made an official visit to Illinois on Aug. 10 to 12, the weekend before school started. He returned home, committed to the Illini, packed his bags and returned to Illinois the following weekend. Other schools, such as Clemson, LSU, Auburn and Maryland, offered Davis scholarships.

"It's been kind of crazy,'' Davis said. "I played my last AAU game a month ago. I came here on a visit and really liked it. I thought about going to prep school to better my game. My prep school coach said I had the ability to play at a four-year school now.''

Davis has a mid-range jumper, he said, but the wing forward's best assets are his length and athleticism.

"He talked about going to prep school to develop,'' Weber said. "I asked him, ‘If you have the opportunity, why wouldn't you come to a major school with weight coaches and assistant coaches who can work with you on a daily basis?’ The family was convinced of that.''

A superior athlete who can reach 2 feet above the rim, Weber said, Davis is likely a redshirt candidate to gain strength and work on his fundamentals.

Cole, the Peoria Richwoods graduate, suffered the injury on his right shoulder while blocking a shot during Monday's practice. He will wear a sling for several days this week, Weber said. Cole won't play in Canada and remained a possibility to redshirt along with freshman forward Mike Tisdale of Riverton.

"(Cole) played pretty well in some of the practices,'' Weber said. "He has a good feel for the game, shoots the ball well and has good passing skills. The question, like Mike, is strength and can you guard anybody.''